CREAMY STRAINED BEANS TSAAJ BI BU’UL is the Mayan name for this dish. Tsaaj signifies anything that is enriched by cooking in lard or oil. Bu’ul is the Mayan word for “bean”. In Spanish, frijol is “bean” and colado means “strained.” In fact, this typical Yucatecan black bean dish is cooked with lard to enrich, then strained to creamy smoothness. There are three traditional textures of frijol colado: aguado, espeso and seco (watery, thick and dry). The texture is chosen according to the use. Throughout Yucatán, aguado is served in a small bowl as an accompaniment to a meal, and is eaten either as a soup or it may be drizzled onto meats or tacos. Espeso is used for botanas, such as panuchos. And seco is employed in the Yucatecan version of refried beans, served as an accompaniment on a fully-plated meal. The difference is simply the amount of cooking liquid left in the beans when pureéd. If much of the liquid evaporates during cooking, you may add water or chicken stock to achieve a soupy consistency for the aguado. Or to achieve either the espeso or the seco, simply cook longer.

Yield: 10-15 servings

• 1 lb. (500g) black beans
• 12 cups (3 liters) water

STEP 1 RINSE AND CLEAN the beans. Soak beans in water overnight; alternatively, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes, then cover, off heat and steep for one hour.

STEP 3 HEAT FAT IN HEAVY SKILLET until hot but not smoking. Add onion and cook slowly until translucent, 8-10 minutes. Transfer fat/onion mixture to beans; stir to incorporate. Continue cooking about another hour, or until beans are tender. Add water as needed to keep beans thoroughly covered. Check for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.

STEP 4 REMOVE CHILE, BACON AND EPAZOTEand discard. Working with an immersion blender or food processor, purée beans until smooth.

STEP 5 STRAIN BEANS through a fine sieve into a medium stockpot. Press through with a rubber spatula to remove as much pulp as possible. At this point, check for thickness. Add water to thin, or simmer uncovered another half hour to thicken. Serve, use in a recipe such as for Panuchos, or proceed with recipe for Frijol Refrito.